


Candy Shop

by legilimens



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternative Universe - Sex Shop, F/F, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-21
Updated: 2014-10-29
Packaged: 2018-02-21 23:57:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2487017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/legilimens/pseuds/legilimens
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fitz asks Jemma for a rather unusual favor and that's how she finds herself in A Magical Place, a sex shop where a very attractive girl happens to work at.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This totally random idea occured to me after I watched a movie about two women running a sex shop together (Brazilians probably know which one I'm talking about; "De Pernas Pro Ar", anyone?). I hope you guys have as much fun reading it as I had writing it. :)

Jemma is _so_ going to kill Fitz.

Of all the favors he could have asked, he chose this. Of course he did. He never misses a chance of pestering her. Oh, if only she hadn't left that liver near his lunch, he wouldn't have thrown a tantrum (after waking up from fainting) about how she owed him something for almost making him ruin his work of weeks. Back then, she had rolled her eyes and agreed to it, thinking he would ask her to drive him to work for a week or buy him lunch in a fancy restaurant; his requests were usually along these lines. Were.

Jemma rests her head back against her seat, ignoring the bright light from the neon sign above the shop shining in through her car's windows. She has been sitting there for fifteen minutes now, and nothing indicates she's gonna change that any soon. She pulls her cellphone out of her purse and dials Fitz's number, determined to tell him she isn't going to do it, but something stops her from pressing the call button.

 _I need you to buy some stuff for me... In a sex shop_ , his words echo in her head again. When they had reached her ears she had been shocked for an instant, waiting for him to dismiss it and explain it was a joke, but that moment never came. He only smirked at her in a way that clearly showed he didn't believe for a second she could do it. Remembering it makes her annoyed all at once and she leaves her car before she can talk herself out of it.

Jemma looks around, taking in her whereabouts; the neighborhood isn't a particularly nice one, and she doesn't know whether it is a good sign that the street is completely empty. Ignoring the small voice in her head telling her to turn around and get back in the car, she clutches her purse more tightly and walks faster. As she takes each step, her heart starts stammering in her ribcage, and she can feel herself regretting her decision.

She is going through with it, though. She's gonna wipe that smirk off of Fitz's face the next time they meet by handing him the bag with his new purchases. With this thought in mind, her hand pushes the worn out door open and she enters A Magical Place.

•••

When the little bell that lets her know when a person enters the shop rings, Skye doesn't bother looking up from her phone. The day has been a calm one, causing her to assume it's probably one of their usual customers – they know the place all too well, which means she doesn't have to stop playing Flappy Bird to help them. She is leaning back on a chair behind the counter, while Trip is organizing the storeroom. 

When silence is all that follows the customer's entrance, Skye glances up with a frown, and the sight that meets her eyes surprises her.

The girl that is awkwardly standing there, eyeing her surroundings with naked apprehension on her face, is the type of person Skye never expects to see in the shop. She is prim and proper, wears a button up shirt and a sweater that give her the A-student look, and has a perfect posture. If they were in high school, Skye is sure she would be one of the front-row kids. Something about her instantly sparks Skye's interest. 

Of course it has nothing to do with the fact that the girl is really pretty.

Skye gets up from the chair, tucks her phone into her pocket and rests her arms on the counter. "Good evening," she greets in a light tone, smiling.

The girl jumps, startled, a hand clutching her chest. She looks at Skye wide-eyed, and after inhaling deeply, lets out a shaky chuckle. "Um, hello, I didn't see you there."

Skye absently thinks to herself that the girl's English accent is hot. "Yeah, I could tell from the way you almost had a heart attack. I'm Skye."

The girl offers her a nervous smile. "Jemma."

"Jemma," Skye repeats, dragging each syllable. "Nice name. How can I help you, Jemma?"

Jemma fidgets with her hands. "I, uh..." she glances around once more and the lost look on her face is just adorable. "To be quite honest, it's my first time in a sex shop, so I don't really know how this works."

Skye chuckles, amused. Like she couldn't tell that by just looking at her. "We're your first? Aw, that's sweet." 

Jemma blushes slightly at the innuendo. "Could you–" 

"Give you the complete tour around the shop? Of course," Skye cuts in as she approaches Jemma, who closes her mouth at the interruption. She clears her throat exaggeratedly. "Fasten your seatbelt, ma'am, for I, your guide tonight, am about to take you on a ride through the amazing world of sexual entertainment!"

Jemma laughs and the sound is one Skye could easily get used to. 

••• 

Skye gestures to the shelf right next to them. "Here we have sexy games: a kama sutra-themed set of cards, a pair of dices that tells you what to do and where to do, such as..." she throws both dices and reads them, "lick inner thighs, there's also this board game that involves stripping down and doing shots – bonus if they are body shots – and oh, that one over there is one of my favorites, it's a naughty truth or dare game, great for parties, I mean, if people are willing to go far in front of a crowd."

"How far?" Jemma asks curiously.

"Far like dry humping another player up against a wall, getting naked and sitting on someone's lap for a few rounds, using hands and mouth to turn someone on in less than 30 seconds and stuff like that, you know," Skye says with a shrug, and when she sees Jemma's slightly astonished expression, she chuckles, "it's fun, especially when you're drunk. Makes a good story."

Jemma nods and lets Skye guide her to another set of shelves. She examines the products with a mix of interest and shock, quietly waiting for Skye's explanation.

"This section is what I call Anal Panel. All kinds of anal stuff, very popular among our gay customers. Anal plugs, anal massagers, anal soothing gel, prostate stimulators, anal fantasy kits, and, of course, people's favorite, anal beads," Skye holds one up. 

"I think I've never heard the word “anal” being repeated so many times in a span of seconds," Jemma comments, and then her attention is on the toy Skye is showing her. "How does anyone use these?" 

"Basically, you shove 'em all up your ass."

"Oh, the name's self-explanatory," Jemma mumbles flustered, much to Skye's amusement. She looks down and her eyes linger on a low shelf. "What about those?"

Skye tilts her head to see what she is pointing to. "Those are... Cock rings. Which I prefer to call “ego boosters”. They help guys make their boners last longer. Men," she says in a pitiful tone, shaking her head. "They put all their pride in their junk and become insecure little boys when their dicks don't work as well as they wanted."

Jemma grins, nodding her head in agreement. "I thought Viagra was their only help in that department, but clearly I was wrong."

"Oh, the blue pills are just the tip of the iceberg," Skye comments with a disdainful smile. "You know, we have a story about those rings around here... One time a man named John Garrett came into the shop looking for them, but Coulson still didn't sell those, he didn't even know they existed, and then Garrett started a very graphic explanation about it. Best part: he had brought his old cock ring with him and he told Coulson he could show him how it was used. I think the dude had his pants around his knees when Coulson finally snapped back to life and kicked him out of the shop."

Jemma looks flabbergasted before a frown takes over her features. "Sorry, who is Coulson?" 

"He owns the place."

"Oh," her brows furrow even further. "I thought you did."

Skye snorts. "I wish. He's the boss, I'm just a mere clerk," she says dramatically, earning a smile. "After that thing with Garrett, Coulson decided to stop making the sales himself and hire people. I guess I owe my job to a total creep with a cock ring obsession." 

Laughter fills the room once again and Skye likes how comfortable Jemma already seems to be around her. She knows it's stupid to be into someone that quickly, but she can't help it; the girl is just so different from the people she knew – and from her, if she is being totally honest – that she finds herself drawn to Jemma like a moth to a flame.

She taps her chin with her index finger. "Now that I think of it, I practically saved this shop." 

Jemma tilts her head to the side. "How is that?" 

"Well, after AC hired me, I realized he still didn't have many of the trending products on sale here, so I helped him update the stock. Also, I did a little research on suppliers and now we have some of the best deals in the business, which is why our prices are the hottest around town. I turned a small sad shop into a very profitable undertaking."

"You're a true hero," Jemma says, her lips curving up in a smirk.

"Hey, don't mock me, I'm really proud of what I did here!"

By instinct, Skye bumps her shoulder playfully against Jemma's, grimacing after she realizes she just invaded the personal space of a person she's known for less than an hour. As she searches for a way to apologize without sounding as stupid as she does in her head, Jemma bumps her shoulder back, and Skye glances at her certainly with surprise etched on her face.

"Forgive me for hurting your feelings, Captain America," Jemma apologizes, although her lingering smirk gives away she isn't sorry in the slightest. "Shall we continue the tour?"

"Right!" Skye clasps her hands together, barely containing her relieved smile. "Well, the shop isn't that big, I'm sure you've noticed, so much to your displeasure, the tour is nearing its end. On that last set of shelves we have a few more toys, including fluffy handcuffs, strap-ons, nipple erectors, pleasure pumps and Ben Wa balls."

Jemma's head snaps in her direction. "Ben Wa balls?"

"Also known as Burmese bells, orgasm balls, rin-no-tama, Venus balls or Geisha balls. Highly advised not to use them in your butt. You interested?"

Jemma's eyes widen for a moment. "Oh, no, I only asked because I remembered hearing that name in the restroom at my job one of these days."

Skye grins amusedly. "It's common bathroom talk, I guess?"

"I wouldn't have payed attention to it if the voices weren't coming from the same cabin... Hand and Hartley seemed to forget the fact that the closed door does not prevent sound from escaping to the adjacent cabins."

Skye feels a smirk forming on her lips. "Eavesdropping on your co-workers? I didn't take you for that kind of person, Jemma."

Jemma crosses her arms defensively. "Well, it's not like I could go deaf right then and there just to provide them some privacy! Especially when they weren't being exactly careful to tone down their talking and... occasional moaning."

"Your job sounds very interesting," Skye remarks, raising her eyebrows.

"If working for a multinational pharmaceutical company suits your definition of interesting, then yes, it is. I'm afraid occurrences like the one I just told you about are very sporadic." 

"Well, that's a pity, but at least they happen from times to times. Your voyeur needs are safe."

"I'm not into voyeurism. I don't enjoy watching or listening if I can't take part in it, you miss all the real fun," Jemma retorts nonchalantly while eyeing the Ben Wa balls, and when her gaze is back on Skye's, there is a different twinkle in her eyes.

In that moment, Skye realizes that Jemma isn't innocent as her appearance makes her to be. Sure, she is obviously new to sex shops and most of the toys, but her tone implies she's familiar with sex. Very much so. It makes Skye wonder about just how good in bed Jemma is, given that apparently she never wanted or needed toys and stuff like that to spice things up, at least until now. The thought of it gives her a tingling sensation and Skye feels even more attracted to Jemma. Just what she needed. 

Her mouth hangs slightly open for a second before she grins slowly. "I totally agree."

Skye heads to the small corridor next to the counter that leads to the storeroom and stops by two rooms closed with curtains instead of doors, each by one of her sides. Jemma steps closer to her with a confused look. "I thought the tour was over."

"Oh, no, not yet. I gotta show you these rooms," Skye says as she pulls open the curtain of the one to their left and leans against the doorframe. "This is the BDSM room. I had named it “Red Room” because of Fifty Shades Of Grey, but the customers who are into BDSM said the book is actually very offensive to their community and doesn't represent them."

Jemma walks past her and into the room. "Well, what could anyone expect of a book that started as a Twilight fanfiction story? Edward was a psychotic man, so is Christian."

"Touché."

Skye watches from the door as Jemma inspects the objects in display. There are chains, collars, handcuffs, ass hooks, chastity belts, ball gags, bondage mittens, blindfolds, spanking paddles and several other equipments that always give Skye the impression of being in a medieval torture chamber. Jemma takes a closer look at a rack full of leather attire.

"There's a customer of ours that loves these outfits, not that I would know that for sure since in all the years I've worked here she's never said a single word, but I assume she does cause she usually buys one when she drops by," Skye comments in one breath. "I bet all my money that Asian lady is some kind of dominatrix."

"Fascinating," Jemma mutters, not seeming to have heard Skye, her eyes still scanning the products.

Skye chokes and manages to croak out, " _you_ are into BDSM?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really very sorry it took me longer to post this one than I promised, I suck.

Jemma turns around in a fluid motion. "Me? No, I just think it's fascinating the connection between pain and pleasure. Did you know the area of our cerebral cortex associated with pain is activated during sex? It makes me wonder what other chemical reactions are similar concerning these opposite sensations, perhaps adrenaline..." she rambles on about things Skye doesn't understand, gesturing her hands excitedly.

Skye blinks a few times. "Right."

Jemma shrugs coyly. "Sorry, sometimes I get a little carried away over these matters. I'm a biochemist," she explains.

Skye waves her hand dismissively. "Nah, it's fine, you looked pretty cute going all science-y," the words escape her.

A sweet smile crosses Jemma's lips and the faintest red tints her cheeks. In other circumstances, Skye would be mentally berating herself for saying something impulsively, but she can't really bring herself to care now, not when she has Jemma blushing and it's adorable to watch. Nevertheless, she makes a mental note about learning how to keep her mouth shut; it has only brought her trouble and more than a few embarrassing situations. Like that time she mused out loud about Carl Creel's physical attributes in front of Coulson. That was an awkward lunch.

She motions to the other room. "Wanna check the last stop of our tour?"

"Of course."

Again, Skye pulls the curtain open, but this time she steps into the room and turns to Jemma, who comes to a halt in the doorway. The room is filled with shelves and more shelves displaying dildos of all colors and shapes in a semi-circle fashion. Skye scans the place with her eyes and smiles proudly; she was the one who came up with the idea for that room, planned every detail and organized all the toys. She set up everything in a way that would stun the customers, and the reactions never disappoint.

"Quite impressive, huh?"

Jemma nods, and after one last glance around, her gaze is back on Skye. "Judging by the smug look on your face, I suppose you're responsible for this."

"Yup," Skye confirms, popping the p. "Ask me about any of those, I've tried all of them."

It's Jemma's turn to choke, causing Skye to burst into laughter. "I'm just kidding! Gosh, you should've seen your face now."

Jemma shakes her head, albeit smiling, and crosses her arms over her chest, her eyes sweeping the toys. "So, how do you usually sell these? Do you let your customers choose by themselves or do you give them tips?"

"Oh, neither way. You see, they don't choose the dildo, the dildo chooses them."

Jemma gapes at her. "Did you just... Compare this to the process of picking a wand in Harry Potter?"

Skye nods, smiling cheekily. "If only you knew the _magic_ some of these are capable of... I've seen all types of women leave the shop cranky and come back giggly. Don't underestimate the power of the dildos, Jemma."

Jemma laughs, covering her mouth with a hand. "Oh, Skye, you're really something."

"Something good, I hope."

"Definitely good," Jemma reassures.

They stare at each other for a moment and this time it's Skye's face that grows bright red. Jemma looks away with a cute little smile on her lips and Skye thinks to herself that maybe Jemma isn't out of her league. Maybe she has a shot, if she doesn't ruin it by talking too much or being too forward. Or maybe this is just wishful thinking and she's seeing too much into it, but a girl can dream, right?

Skye steps out of the room, closely followed by Jemma, and takes her spot back behind the counter. "Well, our tour's definitely over. Now that you've seen all of it, did you find anything you'd like to buy?"

Jemma opens her mouth to answer but she is cut off by the sound of heavy footsteps quickly approaching. Trip suddenly appears in front of them, wearing nothing more than a thong. A leopard print thong. Skye throws her head back and laughs until tears well up in her eyes and her abdomen aches.

"What the fuck is that?" she manages to say after a minute of calming herself down.

"A Tarzan costume. It came in the new load that Coulson ordered after the costumes we had were sold out in Halloween," Trip explains nonchalantly, his smile never faltering.

"Oh, yeah, the holiday everyone uses as a pretext to buy outfits for their role playing kinks," Skye muses. "Is that the entire costume though? That's ridiculous."

Trip's smile turns into his trademark charming grin. "C'mon, girl, you know I look good."

Skye shakes her head and sees Jemma out of the corner of her eye. She has to fight back the urge to smack her forehead with her palm for forgetting Jemma is still there; Trip's unexpected clothing choice caught her full attention.

"Trip, we have customers!" she scolds him, motioning her head to Jemma, who is still silent, and he only directs his grin to the girl. "Sorry you had to see this, Jemma. This is Trip, my best friend. He works here too and, as you must've noticed, he's a huge, huge dork."

"Hey, you love it when I try on the costumes," he protests.

"Only because you look stupid. Like now."

"I think he looks really good," Jemma suddenly counters, and Trip shoots a triumphant smile at Skye, who rolls her eyes in response. "I actually came here looking for the role playing costumes, but I was so caught up in the tour that I forgot to mention it."

Jemma and role playing is a thought that will certainly linger on Skye's mind. She starts picturing Jemma in her personal favorite outfits from the inventory and after some debating with herself, she reckons that Jemma would make the perfect slutty doctor. Or nurse. Skye can't really decide which one, but she knows she would love to be the patient.

"Do you want me to bring the rack of costumes from the storeroom? I just organized it," Trip's voice pulls Skye out of her reverie.

"No, in fact, the one you're currently wearing is perfect. Tarzan is all about monkeys and they're Fitz's favorite animals, he'll love it."

 _Oh. There's a guy, then. Fitz. Nice._ Skye feels herself deflate at that, but she tries to cover it with a smile. "I'm sure your boyfriend will look great in that, if he's as ripped as Trip."

Jemma bursts into a laughing fit. "Fitz? My boyfriend? Oh no, no, no, no, he's just my best friend! I owed him a favor – which is debatable because I did nothing wrong and it's not my fault he has such a weak stomach for organs – and this is what he asked me to do. Plus, he is everything but ripped."

"He told you to come to a sex shop and buy him costumes?" Skye questions, eyebrows furrowing.

"Yeah, well, for him and his boyfriend."

_He is gay. Muuuch better._

"Ah, I see. You're taking that Tarzan thong, then?"

"Definitely. One day I overheard," Skye raises her eyebrows at that and Jemma only rolls her eyes, "Ward calling him his little monkey in a sort of secretive way, like nobody is supposed to know about that nickname. I can't miss this opportunity. I can picture Fitz going “oh, Grant, we have to learn how to keep our voices down near her” in sheer embarrassment. It's gonna be wonderful," Jemma muses with a smirk.

"I like the way you think, girl," Trip says with a smile.

Skye freezes at that. She obviously doesn't know every single person that lives in their town but she's sure there aren't many guys named Grant Ward around. It would be a hell of a coincidence and maybe she is wrong, but she figures asking can't do any harm.

"Did you say Grant Ward?"

Jemma quirks one eyebrow up. "Yes. That's Fitz's boyfriend."

"Tall, dark, handsome Ward? Sharp cheekbones, dog enthusiast, I-suck-at-battleship Ward?"

Jemma nods slowly. "I gather that you know him."

"He's a kinda frequent customer that became a good friend of ours," Trip clarifies with a shrug.

"That explains why Fitz knew about this shop, since he's never been here before," Jemma concludes and another thought occurs to Skye.

"Wait, is Fitz the Leo that Ward is always talking about?"

"Yes, Fitz's first name is Leopold, but he doesn't like being called that. Only his parents are allowed to do so."

"Well, well, it looks like the little monkey becomes King Kong within four walls," Skye remarks, snickering. "A very drunk Ward once told me he is a total sub. Means your bestie is the alpha dog."

Trip sneers along with Skye, while Jemma only stares at them with widened eyes, surprised by the new piece of information. "Fitz is indeed very bossy, but I never pictured him topping Ward. Ugh, that's a mental image that will haunt me from now on," she closes her eyes, pressing her fingers to her temples.

"My bad," Skye says in a sympathetic tone.

A loud ringing echoes around the shop and Jemma fishes for her cellphone in her purse. She reads the name on the screen and smiles. "Speaking of the devil... Hi, Fitz! – yes, I'm on my way home – no, I don't know who ate the last slices of prosciutto – well, it wasn't me! Have you thought about inquiring Ward before throwing accusations at me? – I thought so – Chinese takeout sounds lovely, I'll have the usual – see you in a few."

She hangs up and turns to Skye and Trip with a smile that almost seems apologetic. "Curfew?" Trip asks.

"Almost that. My overprotective best friend is wondering why I'm not home yet. Well, he's about to know I did what he asked. He's gonna suck that smirk of his."

"I'll go get your purchase," Trip says, already disappearing into the corridor.

"You paying in cash or credit card?"

Jemma approaches the counter, opening her wallet. "Cash."

She hands out the even amount and as Skye tucks the bills in the cash register, Trip comes back with a packed Tarzan costume in his hands (Skye thinks calling it a costume is stupid, given it's just a thong, but she will go with it).

"There you go," she reaches out and Jemma grabs the bag.

"Thank you."

Skye rounds the counter and steps ahead of Jemma so she can open the door before the girl can do it. "They say you have to open the door for someone if you want them to come back, so..."

Jemma chuckles. "I believe it only applies to when someone visits your home, not your store."

"It's the thought that counts, right?" Skye smiles, tucking a strand of her behind her ear.

"I guess so," Jemma smiles back.

She glances over her shoulder and notices Trip is watching them, so she lowers her voice. "Um, I'm gonna give you this card with my number, in case you wanna call and see what's new in the shop or..." she trails off, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. She really doesn't want to push Jemma.

"Or in case I'd like to know if you want to go out?" Jemma finishes for her, her smile widening.

Skye locks eyes with her and can't help but beam broadly, relieved that Jemma is into her too and it wasn't all in her head. "Yeah, that too. Especially that."

Jemma nods and strides to her car, turning around as she opens the door to wave goodbye. Skye playfully salutes and watches the car disappear on a left turn. She goes back into the store and finds Trip staring at her with folded arms and raised eyebrows.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Skye retorts in the sweetest tone she can muster.

"Alright, lemme know when _nothing_ becomes a date. I'll go change back into my clothes."

Skye goes back to playing Flappy Bird on her phone, only this time there's a huge smile plastered on her face.

•••

Twenty minutes later, she's alone in the main part of the shop, listening to music after Flappy Bird was no longer a good distraction. Trip still hasn't come back and Skye would go searching for him if she wasn't really enjoying the song that is on, shaking her head to lyrics that sing about God helping some girl.

She hears footsteps and throws her hands up, huffing. "For fuck's sake, finally, Trip! I thought you had died in ther–" she cuts herself off when she sees Coulson standing in front of her. "Oh, it's you, AC. Hi."

"Yeah, I came in through the back door."

"I thought you were taking the day off," she says, crossing her arms and leaning back on the chair, tipping it until the front legs are off the floor.

"I was, but I remembered some loads were to arrive today and I wanted to check if everything was okay."

Skye nods her head and gives him a once over, finally noticing his outfit. "Suit and tie. Were you on a date?"

"Irrelevant," Coulson says in a non-committal tone, but she knows him better than that.

Skye jumps from the chair, making it connect back with the floor with a loud noise, and grins widely. "Oh my God, you finally asked Audrey out!"

She holds out her hand and he reluctantly high-fives it, shaking his head. He clasps his hands behind him and peers at her with sudden interest. "Speaking of dates, when I came in through the storeroom, I walked past the restroom and overheard Trip on the phone with Raina talking about you and... a girl?"

Well, it looks like Skye isn't the only one who has trouble keeping their mouth shut. She's definitely gonna have a little chat with Trip about his telling every detail of her life to his girlfriend. And they say women love gossip.

"Are you trying to dad out on me now?" she asks, holding back a snort.

Coulson has been the fatherly figure she never had ever since he rescued her from living off of her van. He gave her a job, a real home, a good and decent life. Skye likes to say they are the perfect duo of lone wolves, which makes Coulson shake his head as if she's being silly, but his tiny grin always gives him away; she knows he rejoices in the fact that she sees him as family. How could she not?

"No, I'm not doing that," he retorts in a calm voice.

"Oh, I know, it's because she's a customer! Look, I don't usually flirt with the clients, if that's what you're worried about, okay? But this girl was just so different and she was giving me signals and you can't really blame me for–"

"Skye," he interrupts her babbling. "I'm just curious. Is she cute?"

Skye exhales, relaxing. "Hella," she answers, unable to contain the smile that spreads across her face when she remembers Jemma.

He nods and gives her his typical tight-lipped smile, the one she kinda hates because she can't read what's going on in his mind. He's heading back to the storeroom when he stops midway and turns back to her. "I didn't know you were into ladies too."

There it is, the dad act. Skye chuckles lightly and shrugs at him. "I don't define myself."

•••

Jemma is driving with a huge smile on her face, a few minutes away from home, when a song she loves comes on the radio.

"There is no way I'm looking for a boyfriend," she sings along, turning the volume up. "A girlfriend, though, would be just fine," she adds, laughing to herself.

She can't help the giddiness that seeps into her when she thinks back on the evening she just had. When Jemma left work and headed to A Magical Place, she dreaded every second of her way to the shop. She would never have guessed she'd meet someone as amazing as Skye, a person who would peak her interest and become a potential date, if she found the guts to ask her out. A very probable date that depends only on her calling, now that she has Skye's number. Jemma feels a surge of gratitude for Fitz for asking her to go there in the first place.

She will die before she admits it to him, though.

•••

As soon as Jemma steps out of the elevator, she hears the faint voices coming from the TV and Fitz's and Ward's laughter on the other side of the door. She isn't even surprised that Ward is there – he spends so much time in the apartment she shares with Fitz that, more than once, she has asked her best friend why he doesn't just invite Ward to move in with them. He always mutters they are not ready yet, to which Jemma rolls her eyes and bites her tongue not to snap “rubbish” to his face; Ward is barely out of their home and she's pretty sure she's been seeing extra pieces of clothing in the laundry basket.

When she opens the door, a beige ball of fur strides in her direction, putting its front paws on her thigh and looking up at her in excitement. "Hey, Buddy," she greets, scratching behind the dog's ears.

Even Ward's dog is there. Jemma shoots a pointed look at Fitz, who makes a face that clearly says “we are not discussing it now”. She shakes her head at him and turns back to the animal that is now draped across her feet with his abdomen up, silently asking for a belly rub. She crouches down and plays with Buddy for a while, eventually losing his attention as the dog hears a sound outside and chases after it, putting his paws on the window just like he had done to Jemma's legs.

"There you go," Jemma announces, dropping the bag on the coffee table with a tad more force than necessary for dramatic effect.

Fitz stares at her with a quizzical look and Ward turns the TV's volume down, steering his attention to the conversation as well. Jemma gestures to the coffee table and Fitz grabs the bag, widening his eyes as he spots the name of the shop on it. Ward looks at Jemma bemused and drops his gaze back to Fitz, who opens the bag and pulls out its content. He holds up the leopard print thong and scrunches up his face in confusion, Ward's face doing a similar thing.

"What's this?"

She crosses her arms. "Well, it's a thong. A Tarzan costume to be more precise, didn't you ask me to buy a role playing outfit?"

Fitz is still eyeing it when he nods slowly. "Yeah."

"The funny thing is," Jemma starts, and she can feel herself smirking, "I chose it because you love the simian species and I initially thought Ward would be the one wearing it, but given that I happened to find out you're the top between you two, maybe you should role play the king of the forest, _little monkey_."

Jemma wishes she could record how Fitz's face goes through all the shades of red until it settles for a bright crimson. Her best friend buries his face in his hands while Ward just shakes his head, muttering something that sounds a lot like “I can't believe Skye”, and Jemma sighs with utter contentment. Payback is really rewarding.

"Oh, come on now, boys, don't be embarrassed. If you didn't want me to find that out, you shouldn't have sent me to a shop where one of Ward's close friend works at."

"Yeah, well, I didn't know she would blab about my intimacy to my best friend. I didn't even know she was aware of that, how did that happen, Grant?"

Ward shrugs. "I was wasted once and she took advantage of that to get some truths out of me."

"Some friend, she is," Fitz mumbles bitterly.

"Oh, Fitz, you might as well get used to the idea of Skye, because I got her number and I plan to go out with her as soon as possible. I'd say she has a good chance of becoming a part of our group, should everything go fine."

Fitz looks up at her with his mouth hanging open and she raises her eyebrows at him before strutting to her bedroom with the biggest of smiles on her face. Buddy follows her and barks to get her to play with him, as if sensing her state of happiness.

Looking down at Buddy, she thinks to herself that if she were a dog too, she'd be wiggling her tail very enthusiastically.

•••

"Can you believe her?" Fitz asks as soon as he hears Jemma's bedroom door closing.

"Sooner or later she would know, and it's not like we have to be ashamed of it or anything," Ward counters, placing his hand on Fitz's thigh. "Relax."

Fitz lets out a deep breath. "You're right. I'm overreacting," he puts his hand above Ward's and Jemma's comment about his being the top comes to the front of his mind, bringing a blush back to his face.

"What are you all flustered over now?" Ward asks, noticing the color on his cheeks.

Fitz clears his throat. "I just pictured us... and you in that thong... Ugh, I hate Jemma."

Ward chuckles. "Instead of scowling at her purchase, we should put it to good use."

"We should. But not now. I can't even bear to think about doing it with Jemma in the apartment," he confesses.

"It's okay. Why don't I prepare you a prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella sandwich with just a hint of pesto aioli while we wait for the Chinese takeout to arrive?"

Ward gets up and heads to the kitchen, opening the fridge and bending over to inspect the shelves inside. Fitz goes after him and leans against the counter, a pout on his lips.

"Don't bother, we're out of prosciutto," he informs, then furrows his eyebrows. "Hey, was it you who ate the last slices of prosciutto? It was neither Jemma nor me."

Ward straightens his body and turns to Fitz with apologetic puppy eyes. "Buddy was hungry and I couldn't exactly feed him pizza."

Fitz has a protest on the tip of his tongue but softens at his boyfriend's guilty expression. "It's fine, Grant. But you do have to buy some more now."

Ward grabs a bottle of beer and closes the fridge, a slightly triumphant smile crossing his lips. "Not really. You owe me money."

Fitz crosses his arms defensively. "Excuse me?"

"I told you Skye would make a move on Jemma and I was right. A bet is a bet, little monkey."

Fitz huffs and strides back to the living room, slumping himself on the couch with a sulky expression. "I'm beginning to suspect this was all a plot against me."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I disappointed you in case you were expecting them to suddenly make out in the storeroom or start using the toys... But I do hope you guys liked it anyway, I had quite the fun finishing this story! Thank you for all the feedback too. :)

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is always welcome, and thanks for reading!


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